As people grow old, the way they live their lives changes. The elders do not have too many commitments and duties. Most often, they would like to spend their time in front of the television. That’s their way of keeping themselves abreast of the latest happenings in the world. They look forward to catching up on the news, series, and movies. However, the challenge is to get them a suitable television set. Now, when you’re purchasing new television sets for your parents, you’ve to keep in mind their needs.
Let us first study the difficulties seniors face while watching TV.
Impaired Hearing
One of the difficulties they face is hearing loss. Most of them increase the television volume as they are unable to hear. They do not realize they suffer from a hearing impairment. This is because of their age and slow progression. More so, they have trouble hearing high-pitched sounds.
Even worse is when there is noise around them; it is more disturbing because they cannot hear distinctly.
Poor Vision
Seniors also suffer from poor vision. This lack of clear eyesight is because of the various diseases or health problems they suffer from. The most common health issues among seniors are diabetic retinopathy, cataract, glaucoma, and macular degeneration – to name a few. Only with the right medical treatment, their poor vision can be corrected.
Improper TV settings
Sometimes elderly persons do not know about the various options on the television sets whereby they can adjust the sound and picture clarity. The good news is that, according to the room conditions, they can change the picture quality like the brightness, sharpness, and contrast. In turn, they can enjoy viewing television.
High-end television sets
With the advancement of technology, we have now televisions which are called Smart TVs. Though they have various features that are a boon, yet they can be difficult for the seniors to get acquainted with. So, it is advisable to get them a set which has basic features.
Recommendations for seniors when watching television
01. Maintain distance while viewing television
Due to their impairment of hearing and eyesight, seniors prefer to sit as close to the TV as possible. It may not cause any long term issues with the eyes, but their eyes could get strained by doing so. As a result, they cannot enjoy watching television.
The space between the TV and the viewer depends on both the screen size (diameter of the screen) and resolution. If your television set has a good quality resolution, you can sit close to the TV and not even see the small pixels. But if the TV set is a wider and bigger screen, you need to sit away from the TV.
According to Crutchfield, for a 1080p HDTV, the perfect distance from the television set is between 1-1/2 and 2-1/2 times the screen. And, for 4K Ultra HD TVs, the advisable distance is 1 to 1 – 1/2 times the screen size.
If you have a 50-inch screen of a 1080p HDTV, your must sit 6.3 feet away from the TV. And, if your TV has a low resolution, you must maintain a distance 3-5 times the screen size. This recommendation is for healthy adults. However, seniors should always try sitting away from the TV.
Moreover, it is always advisable to check the viewing angle of the TV before mounting it. The viewing angle refers to the maximum safest distance from where you should watch TV. The viewing angle varies among different TV models and you can check for your model in the user guide or on the Internet.
Conversely, if you watch the TV away out of the given viewing angle, you’ll see blurred images.
02. Image Settings
The following image settings are recommended for seniors:-
Picture mode: Movie mode or Cinema mode or Natural mode
- Brightness: 50 %
- Contrast: 80%-100%
- Sharpness: 0% (this is usually a default setting)
- Backlight: 100%
Colour temperature: warm is recommended (cooler temperature indicates extra the blue light, which affects your eyes by suppressing the production of melatonin which causes sleep disorders.)
Turning off the Eco or Energy Savings mode is advisable. Since the television set automatically adjusts to the brightness and contrast to save electricity. High contrast can be a good option for seniors. The higher the brightness, the better it is for seniors – especially, for those elderly groups who suffer from cataract or other eye-related issues.
03. Volume Settings
Television sets have a sound mode option which can be changed according to your preferences. ‘News’ or ‘Speech’ mode is the best option for seniors. This mode makes the dialogue more understandable and the volume clearer for them.
There is also a mode called equalizer settings. As part of this option, if the bass is low and the treble is high, then the frequency is high and, hence, the sound is more audible. These kinds of small adjustments always help them.
Seniors, as discussed above, usually have a hearing impairment. So, this adjustment of high frequency will make up for the loss. In any case, if your elderly person at home is unable to hear, seeing a doctor is a must.
Nowadays, the updated version of a television set which is a flat-screen TV has low speaker volume. And raising the volume setting may not help. But there are always alternates for every device. You get a wide range of external speakers, woofers to increase or boost up the volume.
Tips on procuring a TV
The first point to keep in mind while buying a television set would be to check with your elders. Learn what their preferences are, then go ahead and buy television sets. It is better to get them a basic featured television set for they come with easy-to-use features.
Yet, some seniors are up to date with the latest technology. And getting for them a smart TV would be the ideal choice. A wide screen TV is the best option. Then, they do not have to strain their eyes and the sound is also clear.
If it suits your budget, then you must buy a smart TV with a big screen. But before buying the set, you must check your room dimensions and viewing area. Also, you must learn about the recommended viewing distances.
However, modern TVs do come with a remote which has many small-sized buttons, which may not be very useful for the seniors; thus, these models may not be ideal for them.
Finally
The choices and preferences of the seniors should be considered before getting them a good television set. Keep in mind the above points. Then, you can be sure that they will enjoy watching the television and are happy at the end of the day.
